Coastal districts likely to face heavy rainfall today

Kolkata: The coastal districts of Bengal may witness heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, while the city and its adjoining districts will receive scattered rainfall.

The Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore on Sunday said that a low pressure trough has been formed over Bay-of-Bengal, which will bring rainfall in East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas. Heavy rain will be accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorm, particularly in the two districts.

An alert has been issued to the fishermen, asking them not to voyage into the sea till August 15, as it may turn turbulent. Those who are out in the sea have been asked to return.

Some restrictions were imposed on the visitors while taking bath in the sea at Digha and Mandarmani on Sunday, following the alert. The local administrations have taken all measures to check any mishap.

Digha and Mandarmani recorded a huge number of tourists on Sunday. Many people from the city and other parts of the state visited beach towns on Saturday.

The district police officers maintained surveillance in the beaches and conducted campaigns to make people aware about the rough sea. According to local administration, there were high waves in Digha on Sunday and the condition may continue for the next 24 hours. Policemen have been posted near the sea beaches from Saturday in the wake of the weather prediction.

The Met officials on Sunday warned of spells of thundershowers accompanied by strong winds in some South Bengal districts, while moderate rain may lash parts of Kolkata and its adjoining suburbs on Monday. According to the Met office, a low pressure trough formed over Bay-of-Bengal may lead to depression near the state's coastline, causing a heavy downpour in Gangetic Bengal over the next 24 hours. The situation may improve from Tuesday evening. Rain will be accompanied by strong breeze in some of the districts in South Bengal.

The weather office said that the districts like North 24-Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Hooghly will also see light rainfall due to the low pressure trough.